Gas Saving Tips For Summer

As the temperature rises this summer so do gas prices. Oil companies take advantage of the large number of summer travelers every year by setting prices high. Now, unless you have an electric or hybrid, this is a problem. Fortunately, there are some small tips to save gas this summer.

These tips aren’t going to save you large sums of money, but rather help you use less gas while operating a vehicle. Fewer trips to the pump mean few chances to spend money on gas, which is the ideal situation for most people. The only difficulty some people may have is breaking some bad driving habits in order to save money.

Slow Down, Relax and Enjoy the Drive

Bad driving habits can not only physical harm but harm to your wallet. Aside from car accidents and higher insurance rates, other consequences include wasting gas due to frequent acceleration. Not only does following the speed limit alleviate the gas tank, but it helps regulate traffic. Understandably, some people learned to keep up with traffic rather than the speed limit, but this does not mean exceeding the limit to beat everyone else.

Keeping a heavy foot off the accelerator is key, as is keeping a cool head. Sometimes another driver on the road is reckless and aggressive, which may cause us to act similarly. It does not help you nor the gas tank to drive that way. When someone is acting a fool on the road just remember how much gas they are wasting and smile instead.

Routine Checks

An easy way to save gas all year round is keeping up with your car’s maintenance. Small tasks such as checking tire pressure, oil, and air filters can improve a vehicle’s performance. A vehicle performing at its peak is going to use gasoline as efficiently as possible.

Other Tricks

Applying routine checks and bad habit correction with good habits can have a large impact on gas savings. Some good habits include slowing down earlier, using air conditioning, and turning off the vehicle’s engine when parked. We can’t always anticipate a slowdown or stop, but when we can it’s a good idea to slow down earlier. This prevents you from accelerating up to the stop, making it safer and fuel efficient.

Using the air conditioning as opposed to having the windows down prevents wind drag, which makes the engine work harder. Closing windows and using the AC makes a car more aerodynamic, thus more fuel efficient. Fuel efficiency is important, which is why turning the vehicle off when parked is a good habit as well. If you do not plan on being parked for more than 5 minutes than its a better idea to shut it down.